Sir Alex was delighted to see Rooney amongst the goals in United’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, and the 4-2 Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

“Wayne was fantastic [against Bayer Leverkusen]. I’m pleased to see that,” Ferguson said. “He’s got his energy back, the determination, his purpose to attack. As a director, I’m delighted to see him back to what we always remember him.”

Speaking to United’s TV station, Ferguson is also pleased to see plenty of United’s other attackers chipping in and believes alongside Rooney’s resurgence, United have a great chance to kick on to defend their Premier League title.

“With [Robin] Van Persie and Rooney, there are forwards that can win games,” Ferguson said. “And [Antonio] Valencia’s back to his best.”

So, those are the first words from Ferguson as a director at United and it is quite telling to hear him praise Rooney, despite all of the rumors flying around about a high-profile bust-up between the pair, just prior to Ferguson’s retirement.

And the Scottish manager, who must be finding it hard to stay away from the action after 26 years in charge of United, will be watching on as a spectator during a Manchester Derby for the first-time in almost 30 years. As for his successor Moyes, the 50-year-old Scot has an incredible record against Man City while in charge at Everton. In 22 games against the Citizens, Moyes won 12, drew four and lost just six times.

He will be hoping that fine record against City carries over to his United career.

But back to Rooney, his importance cannot be underestimated, and in his past 25 games for the Red Devils he has scored 13 times and added 12 assists. Only Robin van Persie betters that record and RVP has played 13 games more than the England international. Following the summer-long transfer saga involving Rooney, United’s fans will be pleased to see him back focused on playing for the Old Trafford side and Ferguson is obviously over the moon.

With Sir Alex pleased, Rooney back in form and David Moyes keen to build on his good record against City, all signs are pointing towards a confident Manchester United strolling out of the tunnel at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

With the first section labelled “basically, free money” for the picks I think are dead certs. The section labelled “don’t touch this” means if you’re betting I advise you to stay clear, while the “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” section are the longshots. If it is better odds you are after, those are the picks to go for.

Watford host Everton on Saturday (7:30 a.m. ET live NBCSN and online via NBC Sports.com) at Vicarage Road to kick things off with both teams out of form and desperate for a win.

Then Arsenal welcome Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium (10 a.m. ET live NBCSN andonline via NBC Sports.com) as Arsene Wenger‘s side look to stretch their unbeaten run to 14 games in the Premier League against a resurgent Potters outfit.

As the same time struggling Swansea City and Sunderland clash (10 a.m. ET live CNBC and online via NBC Sports.com) in a massive relegation battle at the Liberty Stadium. Can Bob Bradley get a big win?

Rounding things off on Saturday we have a big game for two teams in contrasting situations as Leicester City host Manchester City (12:30 p.m. ET live NBC and online via NBC Sports.com) at the King Power Stadium with Claudio Ranieri‘s side in a relegation battle. As for Pep Guardiola and City, they haven’t had it all their own way recently but are just four points off top spot.

On Sunday league-leader Chelsea host West Brom (7 a.m. ET live NBCSN and online via NBC Sports.com) with Antonio Conte‘s boys aiming to make it eight-straight wins in the Premier League but the in-form Baggies stand in the way. Then Manchester United and Tottenham collide at Old Trafford (9:15 a.m. ET live on NBCSN and online via NBC Sports.com) in one of the games of the weekend as both teams still harbor title aspirations but look more likely to simply challenge for the top four this season.

To round Week 15 off Liverpool welcome struggling West Ham to Anfield (11:30 a.m. ET live NBCSN and online via NBC Sports.com) with Jurgen Klopp‘s men aiming to get over their shocking defeat at Bournemouth, while Slaven Bilic‘s Hammers will take anything they can get from this trip.

If you’re looking for full-event replays of Premier League games, you can find them here. They are available soon after the final whistle, but rights limit us to a certain number each week. Looking for game highlights? Try this. Here’s your full TV schedule for the coming days. Enjoy.